[1.2.1] Why satellite has bad connection?

[orven]

I've decided to create comm network on Duna for my rover mission. So I've got one satellite with 100G relay antenna on high orbit and a bunch of 2G relays on lower orbits. The problem is that these smaller relays keep connecting directly to the KSC in one hop with 6% strength even if they can establish stronger connection via 100G relay.

So here are screenshots.

My first 2G relay having only 6%.

Connection from this 2G to other satellites. Red line goes to KSC and some green lines go to other relays.

Switched to this "another 2G" and it also has 6% with KSC though it has green line connection with my main 100G relay.

And finally - 96% strength on 100G relay.

Why my initial relay doesn't use other relays to increase the signal strength? Is it supposed to work like that or am I doing something wrong?

P. S. I know that my network is terrible but I've got this question in the middle of construction.

Edited November 4, 2016 by orven

[Gianni1122]

Do you use the "extra ground stations" setting? Also, might want to check the other network settings in difficulty menu.

What does you network look like near Kerbin? If you only have one or two relay satellites, your signal might be getting blocked by a planet (like Mun or Kerbin)

[orven]

8 minutes ago, Gianni1122 said:

Do you use the "extra ground stations" setting? Also, might want to check the other network settings in difficulty menu.

What does you network look like near Kerbin? If you only have one or two relay satellites, your signal might be getting blocked by a planet (like Mun or Kerbin)

I don't use extra ground stations but that's not the case - my 100G relay on Duna has 96% connection with KSC at the exact same moment my other relays on Duna fail. The queston here is why my 2G relays doesn't want to connect to this relay to have stronger connection? Is it possible to have one-hop 6% connection stronger than three-hop connection where all points of the route connected with green color? Or maybe this system just connects via the shortest path ignoring signal strength?

[Gianni1122]

Let me try to recreate and get back to you. BRB

What satellites do you have orbiting kerbin?

Edited November 4, 2016 by Gianni1122

[bewing]

No, you are not doing anything wrong. Choosing "the best" network path from a list of all the network paths is difficult, and is based on something called "graph theory". If you examine the intricacies of graph theory, it gets nasty to calculate. Verifying that after x hops you really do eventually get to Kerbin, and you don't end up going around and around a big loop, or down a dead end. And the network changes dynamically as certain satellites get occluded from each other or Kerbin. And the code to calculate all this has to be "scalable" to not use an infinite amount of computing resources when someone puts 200 (or 2000 or whatever) relays around the system. So yeah, the current algorithm favors a direct link over a hop in almost all circumstances.

[orven]

22 minutes ago, Gianni1122 said:

What satellites do you have orbiting kerbin?

I have one 100G on stationary orbit roughly above the opposite side to KSC and 2 other 15G forming triangle with the first one to translate the signal. Actually I have like 5 or 6 relays with 2 to 15G antennas orbiting Kerbin because of contracts. But again - my 100G relay on Duna had direct connection to KSC (3 lvl by the way) at the moment I've made screenshots.

[Gianni1122]

29 minutes ago, orven said:

I don't use extra ground stations but that's not the case - my 100G relay on Duna has 96% connection with KSC at the exact same moment my other relays on Duna fail. The queston here is why my 2G relays doesn't want to connect to this relay to have stronger connection? Is it possible to have one-hop 6% connection stronger than three-hop connection where all points of the route connected with green color? Or maybe this system just connects via the shortest path ignoring signal strength?

I believe It's very likely that you are having poor connection when your 100g relay's signal is blocked by either Duna and/or Kerbin or both.

Your 2g relay is using you 100g relay's signal to connect to Kerbin.

When 100g relay has connection with KSC, 2g signal is good

When 100g relay loses signal with KSC, 2g relay signal is bad

[orven]

2 minutes ago, bewing said:

No, you are not doing anything wrong. Choosing "the best" network path from a list of all the network paths is difficult, and is based on something called "graph theory". If you examine the intricacies of graph theory, it gets nasty to calculate. Verifying that after x hops you really do eventually get to Kerbin, and you don't end up going around and around a big loop, or down a dead end. And the network changes dynamically as certain satellites get occluded from each other or Kerbin. And the code to calculate all this has to be "scalable" to not use an infinite amount of computing resources when someone puts 200 (or 2000 or whatever) relays around the system. So yeah, the current algorithm favors a direct link over a hop in almost all circumstances.

Thank you for the answer. That's exactly what I was interested in. I'm a programmer myself so I know about graph theory and difficulties in calculations. But unfortunately that means that my network wouldn't work as I planned and I shouldn't bother about it that much.

[Gianni1122]

7 minutes ago, orven said:

I have one 100G on stationary orbit roughly above the opposite side to KSC and 2 other 15G forming triangle with the first one to translate the signal. Actually I have like 5 or 6 relays with 2 to 15G antennas orbiting Kerbin because of contracts. But again - my 100G relay on Duna had direct connection to KSC (3 lvl by the way) at the moment I've made screenshots.

OH. My mistake. Let me take another look. I'm starting to get the problem

[orven]

2 minutes ago, Gianni1122 said:

OH. My mistake. Let me take another look. I'm starting to get the problem

Thank you for your answers but, as @bewing explained, the problem is in the algorythm, not in the satellite positioning.

Edited November 4, 2016 by orven

[Gianni1122]

You're welcome. Gave it a shot

You might want to use "set to path" (like your first image) or "set to network" instead of "vessellinks". That might have illustrated your problem better.

Found these threads I though might have been helpful before. I'll just post them here anyway incase it helps someone else.

https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1150213&start=6280